This is a translation from a post writen by Laofa, readable here : http://app.ryzom.com/app_forum/index.php?page=post/view/112932
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I know that Ryzom is full of good people.
I know that many of them never speak in public. We don't hear from them, despite their great wisdom, or maybe because of it.
I also know that among those who speak there are also many good people, even some of the ones who speak clumsily and are then viewed as bad people (sorry, but I won't be using the harsh vocabulary from the comic^^).
The words choosen are sometimes clumsy or really hurtful. Even so, I don't think that harming is their intent because it's their love for the game that creates their "passion".
But even the strongest passion must not obscure the respect others deserve. When someone disagrees with us it doesn't matter whether they are "right" or "wrong". We still have to respect them as an individual giving their opinion.
In the previous sentence, all of the words are important.
- First: Opinion. Debates are based upon ideas, sometimes preconceived ones, but all are just "a view one has of the world". The other person is may be wrong, or they may be right. Nevertheless, one must not forget that they may have ideas too. Each opinion we express might be wrong, whatever our conviction.
- Then: The individual. If someone express an opinion, it's their own opinion, not that of all their people, even if they claim to represent others. They could have been elected in a democratic manner, but even in that case, they are but ONE person. We can suppose that his opinion might be shared by others, but we have to avoid any easy confusion with the group they belong to, whether this group is a faction, a linguistic community, or based on a geographic location. To forget this, is to fall into the trap of xenophobia.
-Finally: Respect. It's a complex concept and I will not prolong my essay on this subject, but respect is essential for a healthy atmosphere. A good atmosphere, more than any rule carved in stone (or written in a code of conduct) allows us to enjoy living in a community. This is as true IRL as IG.
There have been a lot of harsh words spoken in the past weeks. It does not matter what caused these disrespectful debates to occur. What matters is that ill words were spoken and people did not seem aware they were doing so.
It is one thing to disagree about how people overcome gameplay problems, and speaking calmly about it would be welcome. But it's an entirely different for one to shout "Germans are this, French are that, English play like this", that is UNACCEPTABLE.
Communicating with others is always difficult, because even when a there is a common language, it is sometimes hard to understand each other. When we have to talk with people we don't know, in a language we do not master, we must take exceptional care with what we think we say, as well as what we think we understand, and strive never, never to cause confusion.
I see dangerous confusions appear between the behavior of a minority of players and their inclusion in a cultural or any other kind of group. That one English-speaking person used a bot doesn't mean all "English" use them. One French speaking person behaving like a boor doesn't mean that all "French" are boors. One German-speaking person not giving a damn about roleplay doesn't mean that all "Germans" despise the game's background. And so on, and so on.
There are plenty of ways to play the game. None are "good" or "bad" as long as each one respects the other. There are many different individuals. The acts of one of them do not allow us to judge all those who share his language or are part of his group of friends.
When someone begins to insult peoples because they don't speak the same language, or share the same timezone, the concept of respect has been bypassed.
I hope that each one of us will take care to moderate they words, be it in the forum, in the channels, in Ryzom facebook groups. I am not throwing stones at anyone in particular; many people have displayed bad behavior, in each language. I do think it was the result of their passion and that result can change. No one is perfect ;)
About the "problems" that initiated this virulence, there are many possible solutions and more than one way to consider things. That is not the subject here, but I will finish by saying this: in these problems, I see nothing to prevent us from playing together, each one with his very different way to play, but still in good understanding. That is, providing we don't forget repect, moderation, courtesy and discussion.
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For those who do not wish to read a long text, the main idea is illustrated there, better than I could hope to describe it :
http://www.smbc-comics.com/index.php?db=comics&id=2939#comic
I know that Ryzom is full of good people.
I know that many of them never speak in public. We don't hear from them, despite their great wisdom, or maybe because of it.
I also know that among those who speak there are also many good people, even some of the ones who speak clumsily and are then viewed as bad people (sorry, but I won't be using the harsh vocabulary from the comic^^).
The words choosen are sometimes clumsy or really hurtful. Even so, I don't think that harming is their intent because it's their love for the game that creates their "passion".
But even the strongest passion must not obscure the respect others deserve. When someone disagrees with us it doesn't matter whether they are "right" or "wrong". We still have to respect them as an individual giving their opinion.
In the previous sentence, all of the words are important.
- First: Opinion. Debates are based upon ideas, sometimes preconceived ones, but all are just "a view one has of the world". The other person is may be wrong, or they may be right. Nevertheless, one must not forget that they may have ideas too. Each opinion we express might be wrong, whatever our conviction.
- Then: The individual. If someone express an opinion, it's their own opinion, not that of all their people, even if they claim to represent others. They could have been elected in a democratic manner, but even in that case, they are but ONE person. We can suppose that his opinion might be shared by others, but we have to avoid any easy confusion with the group they belong to, whether this group is a faction, a linguistic community, or based on a geographic location. To forget this, is to fall into the trap of xenophobia.
-Finally: Respect. It's a complex concept and I will not prolong my essay on this subject, but respect is essential for a healthy atmosphere. A good atmosphere, more than any rule carved in stone (or written in a code of conduct) allows us to enjoy living in a community. This is as true IRL as IG.
There have been a lot of harsh words spoken in the past weeks. It does not matter what caused these disrespectful debates to occur. What matters is that ill words were spoken and people did not seem aware they were doing so.
It is one thing to disagree about how people overcome gameplay problems, and speaking calmly about it would be welcome. But it's an entirely different for one to shout "Germans are this, French are that, English play like this", that is UNACCEPTABLE.
Communicating with others is always difficult, because even when a there is a common language, it is sometimes hard to understand each other. When we have to talk with people we don't know, in a language we do not master, we must take exceptional care with what we think we say, as well as what we think we understand, and strive never, never to cause confusion.
I see dangerous confusions appear between the behavior of a minority of players and their inclusion in a cultural or any other kind of group. That one English-speaking person used a bot doesn't mean all "English" use them. One French speaking person behaving like a boor doesn't mean that all "French" are boors. One German-speaking person not giving a damn about roleplay doesn't mean that all "Germans" despise the game's background. And so on, and so on.
There are plenty of ways to play the game. None are "good" or "bad" as long as each one respects the other. There are many different individuals. The acts of one of them do not allow us to judge all those who share his language or are part of his group of friends.
When someone begins to insult peoples because they don't speak the same language, or share the same timezone, the concept of respect has been bypassed.
I hope that each one of us will take care to moderate they words, be it in the forum, in the channels, in Ryzom facebook groups. I am not throwing stones at anyone in particular; many people have displayed bad behavior, in each language. I do think it was the result of their passion and that result can change. No one is perfect ;)
About the "problems" that initiated this virulence, there are many possible solutions and more than one way to consider things. That is not the subject here, but I will finish by saying this: in these problems, I see nothing to prevent us from playing together, each one with his very different way to play, but still in good understanding. That is, providing we don't forget repect, moderation, courtesy and discussion.